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While judges from top photojournalism competitions ( World Press, PoYi, etc) are getting ready to sit down and assume their role of gatekeepers of the true art, what is or not acceptable image alteration continues to slow burn deep inside the profession with no clear resolution in sight. Each organization, each publication, and each photographer Read More →

North America woke up with the news that golden boy photo agency Shutterstock acquired no less than 2 companies in what seems as one swoop. One, in the music category, the other, in the photo licensing world. Obviously it is the latter that interests us here. Shutterstock’s announcement that it has acquired 60 years old Read More →

Ever so often, the topic of the value of a photograph emerges from the bowels of online conversations. Very quickly, the conversation ends with the undisputed point that a photo should at least cover its cost. In other words, the more it costs to take a picture, the higher its value. Photographers, like any small Read More →

As I was doing some research for a long-term project, I realized that as we look and take  photographs everyday, multiple times a day, we never really define what it is.  A dictionary definition of the word Photograph goes like this : ” A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto Read More →

We cannot achieve anything significant by ourselves. As much as we would love to, it is impossible to succeed without the help of others. Yet, over and over, we try with the same predictable outcome. For decades now, the number one issue that has plague the photo licensing industry has been attribution. Indelibly linking an Read More →

After reading thoroughly the David Campbell’s World Press produced report on image manipulation, one is left with one question : How opinions affect image manipulation..or is an opinion the truth. And rather than answers, guidelines, rules, code of deontology, anything that one could hope to hang on, we are left alone within the silence of Read More →

The difference is what’s missing. In fact, it is only when a photograph does not show it all that it begins to become powerful and potent. Why ? because it forcefully demands viewer participation by understanding the concept. See, the big difference between a powerful photojournalist image and commercial stock is that one misses a Read More →

Books and photography have a long-lasting love story. While maybe the empire of the written world, books have always welcomed images as their most supportive partner. It is not a coincidence : Writing started with images and so, even more than Greek or Latin, it is  at the very  core of any written text. So Read More →

You walk in a supermarket, pick up a bag of potatoes and head for the cash register. At this point, the employee ask you how  you intend to use the potatoes. Depending on your answer, he will charge you more or less. He also asks what is your overall budget, how many people you intend Read More →

Who is a curator? what is a curator ? Why do we need them anyways. The hidden paradox of photography is while it vastly assumed it’s the work of a lonely individual, it is not. In fact, it’s team work. We had written previously about the hidden work of assignment editors, fixers, and photo editors Read More →